Clothespin



' March 11, 1958 J. F; VAN DRlEL 2,825,953

CLOTHESPIN Filed Aug. 19, 1 955 I INVENTOR JOHN F: l AN DR/EL BY Jc/u'A/Qwy y WM ATTORNEYS States Patent CLOTHESPIN John F. Van Driel, Irvington, N. J., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Petcar Research Corporation, Washington, D. C., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 19, 1955, Serial No. 529,480

2 Claims. (Cl. 24138) This invention relates to clothespins and provides such a device having a new configuration, structure and mode of application and operation. The invention particularly relates to one-piece clothespins and not to clothespins having two or more separate, pivoted, spring-pressed parts.

By the present invention I have provided a clothespin of new and improved construction, configuration and mode of operation, which is applied in a manner different from that of usual clothespins and which is an improvement on usual and known clothespins in every way. A principal object of the invention has been to provide a clothespin which does not engage and hold the clothesline and the articles hung over it by a simple, straightline wedging action but, on the contrary, is applied to the clothesline and articles by a non-linear movement which causes the clothespin positively and permanently to engage and hold the clothesline and articles, but which is easily and quickly releasable from the clothesline and the articles hung thereon.

Preferred embodiments of clothespins constructed in accordance with this invention are described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a clothespin according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the clothespin shown in Fig. 1, and

Figs. 3 and 4 are front elevational views of different embodiments of the invention.

A clothespin constructed in accordance wih a preferred form of the invention is disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing and comprises a circular, disc-like body 2 formed of a plastic, wood or other suitable material, having flat, circular side faces 4, 6 and peripheral wall 8 and being of sufiicient thickness to give requisite and desirable strength and rigidity. This body member has an elongated, tapered, curved passage 10 therein which extends entirely therethrough from side face 4 to side face 6 and which is defined by side walls 12, 14 which are curved in the same direction and which converge from the peripheral wall 8 to their inner ends where they meet. At its entrance end 16, at the peripheral wall 8, this passage is wider than the diameter of a usual clothesline and at its inner end 18 the side walls meet. The passage is of substantially the same length as the tapered passage in the usual straight clothespin whereby clotheslines of different diameters, with articles hung thereon, may be accommodated and held by a weclging action.

In the use and application of a clothespin such as that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the clothespin is applied to a clothesline, over which any clothing or other article is hung, by pushing the clothespin downwardly over the clothesline to cause the clothesline to pass into and along the passage 10 while at the same time the clothespin is turned slightly in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, in order to accommodate the clothesline to the curved passage 10, until the clothesline and the article hung thereon are securely wedged in the passage. In order to remove the clothespin from the clothesline and the articles hung thereon it is necessary only to loosen it by turning it in a direction opposite to that of the arrow in Fig. l and then to remove it.

If desired, the body of the clothespin may be formed with two or more elongated, curved, tapered passages of the same or different sizes whereby it may be used with clotheslines of different sizes or to accommodate articles of difierent thicknesses hung on the same line. A clothespin according to this form of the invention is disclosed in Fig. 3 of the drawing and has a larger curved and tapered clothesline opening 30 and a smaller curved and tapered clothesline opening 32. The passages 30, 32 are preferably curved in the same direction so that when the clothespin is applied or removed it will be turned in the same direction regardless of which of the two openings is used.

If desired, the walls defining the curved and tapered passage in clothespins according to the invention may be formed with indentations to provide improved holding action. Such an embodiment of the invention is dis closed in Fig. 4, in which the converging walls 40, 42 which define the passage 44 are provided with at least one pair of oppositely-facing, arcuate indentations 46.

While the described circular configuration is the preferred form of my invention and constitutes an important feature thereof, it will be apparent that clothespins having other shapes, such as a square, may be formed with one or more of the elongated, curved, tapered passages which form the principal feature of the invention. Clothespins according to the invention, however, have a generally circular, or similar shape rather than the elongated shape of usual clothespins.

It is believed that the use and application of clothespins according to this invention will be fully understood from the foregoing description. These clothespins may be easily applied to a clothesline over which any clothing or other article is hung and when so applied will securely retain the line and the article hung over it within the elongated, curved, tapered passage in the clothespin. Accidental removal of the clothespin is rendered virtually impossible because of the fact that the passage is tapered in the manner described thus providing a secure wedging action which is increased by the curvature of the passage.

In addition, the parts of the clothespin on either side of the entrance opening, such as opening 16 of Fig. 1, have a resilience in a direction toward and away from each other, thus increasing their holding effect on the articles held between them.

The device provided by this invention may find uses other than the usual use of a clothespin to hang articles on a clothesline and devices according to the invention but employed for such other uses are to be understood as being within the spirit and scope of the claims.

While I have described and illustrated a number of embodiments of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates that other embodiments, as well as modifications of those disclosed, may be made and practiced without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, for the limits of which reference must be made to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A clothespin comprising a circular disc having opposite fiat faces, a continuously curved tapered slot having an opening extending from the periphery of the disc inwardly to a point spaced from the edge of the disc, said slot being arcuate throughout its extent.

2. The clothespin oi claim 1 wherein the Walls defining the slot are provided with at least one pair of oppositely disposed indentations.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

